It was strange to hear that the organisers of the US Masters to not offer three-time major Champion Ernie Els a “special invitation,” but once again when one delved deeper into the issue one realised that it had little to do with reputation, but all to do with money.
Twenty-year old Japanese player Ryo Ishikawa was preferred to Els for the “Special Invitation.
Ishikawa is touted to be one of the bright young stars of the game, but he had fallen outside the top 50 players in the world to 52.
The committee at the Augusta National have the final call but it was believed that the Japanese networks hefty rights fee for the first major of the year swayed them towards the young star rather than the established big name player.
A tough call, but let us hope Ishikawa lives up to their faith in his ability.
